It doesn't mean 'Save Our Ship' — in fact, it doesn't stand for anything. It is just a very recognizable signal in almost any form.
SOS was invented in Germany in 1905 for use as a distress signal in Morse code: Three dots, three dashes, three dots. If you keep doing the pattern it doesn't matter where you start.
… — … —…—…—
Plus, if you are stranded on a mountain, you can create an SOS and it can be read backwards or upside down, unlike HELP for example.
Today, digital communications have made Morse code, the signal system made up of dots and dashes, mostly obsolete, but SOS can still be written with nearly universal understanding.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
